photos courtesy of New Bohemia

New Bohemia Handpainted Signs
From New Bohemia's website: "This is what we do here...the process involves wielding a brush in hand, and dipping it in paint. It doesn't get much more complicated than that. Or simpler. But it's a craft as old as commerce, and an art indelibly linked to human scale and mass appeal." We couldn't have said it better. You can spot their work all over the city -- Pizzeria Delfina, Balboa Cafe, Crissy Field, BellJar, March, Anchor & Hope, Miette, and many more.

design: Rebar Group, 2010

Pavement to Parks
One quarter of the San Francisco's land area is taken up by roadways, and many of them are overly wide with big areas of wasted space. The city's "Pavement to Parks" program is taking over these areas and turning them into beautiful, useable public parklets with landscaping and seating. We love design for good.

founders: Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari, 2002

bottom photo courtesy of Megan Prusynski

The Fillmore Posters
The city's legendary music venue was made famous by Bill Graham in the mid-60s, when it also became known for its iconic concert posters. For an inspiring lesson in rock history, check out the chronological collection -- including designs by hundreds of amazing artists -- on the mezzanine level of the venue. More are on display in the upstairs bar. Today the tradition continues, and for select sold-out shows, limited edition prints of the night's poster are given to the 1,199 fans as they leave the auditorium. If you're not one of them, you can try to snag yours on eBay.

 

Flora Grubb Vertical Gardens
First, the name Flora Grubb (her actual name) is the best-ever. We love how she turns succulents into wall art.
 
 

architect: Arthur Brown, 1915

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Handpainted Signs in the Mission

The most amazing signage is steps from our office. These are a few of the best.

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architect: Envelope A+D, 2011

The Hayes Valley Proxy Project
A smart idea in urban planning design in Hayes Valley (one of our favorite hang out 'hoods). Due to the economic downturn, fenced-in empty lots were going to be left undeveloped for several years. So Envelope A+D envisioned Proxy, including shipping containers repurposed for pop-up retail spaces, Slow Food vendors, and a gathering space -- giving the site a whole new (temporary) life. When the economy improves, the structures are easily dismantled for new plans. But in the meantime, we're bee-lining to Proxy's first inhabitant, Smitten, for made-to-order ice cream. It's amazing.

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top left photo courtesy of Alameda Point Faire

Alameda Flea Market
What? You've never been? Worth a trip the first Sunday of each month. Treasures everywhere...here are a few of our finds.
 
 

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architect: Herzog & de Meuron, 2005

de Young Museum
We love the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. It's the world's biggest copper-clad building, and each of the 7,200 copper panels is uniquely perforated and punched into textured patterns that are based on digital photos of the park's tree canopy. So the facade suggests light filtering through native trees. (This blows our mind a bit.) Check out the 144-foot observation tower on a non-foggy day for the best views of the city.
 
 

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photos courtesy of Raymond Moreno

Historic Streetcars
Forget cable cars. SF's Municipal Railway has collected the most beautiful, diverse fleet of vintage streetcars, trolleys, and trams from San Francisco and around the world. Along Market Street and along the Embarcadero, you can hop a ride on antique streetcars from Japan, Australia, Italy, and England. Totally worth the $2 fare.

 

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photo courtesy of Brandon Doran
design: Walter Landor, mid 1970's

Muni Identity
Our favorite SF identity is for Muni, the public transit system. Some call it a worm. We see railway tracks. In any case, it's pretty perfect. (And check out the neck tattoos via @munidiaries.)

We especially love that the identity hasn't changed in 30+ years. Close call: In 1997, Muni wanted to replace it with a new logo designed by a student as part of a competition at the Academy of Art. Fortunately, the Public Transportation Commission didn't approve it. Oh, and if it had been, the student would have been paid $5,000. What?
 
 

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Clarion Alley Street Art
Amazing art-covered alley, a block over from 17th Street between Valencia and Mission Streets. Constantly changing, so come back often. Open 24/7.
 
 

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exhibit design: Rockwell Group, 2009

Walt Disney Family Museum
Walt Disney is one of our creative visionary heroes. And the new(ish) Disney Family Museum in the Presidio captures his story in a super-inspiring way. If you haven't been, go. The above image is the Disney operations/org chart on display. No hierarchy or silos; everyone and everything is in support of the story.
 
 

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architect: Renzo Piano, 2008

Cal Academy Living Roof
Our favorite example of sustainable design, the California Academy of Sciences is the world's greenest museum. The best part is the Living Roof -- a 2.5 acre ecosystem with native plants. Check it out from the de Young Museum's observation tower. Holiday bonus: reindeer Yukon and Windy graze on the roof during Christmas.

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artist: Rex May, 1955

49-Mile Scenic Drive Signs
The 49 Mile Scenic Drive was started in 1938 to promote SF as a destination for tourists and businesses. The route begins and ends at City Hall, marking landmarks along the way, like Mission Dolores, the Ferry Building and the Palace of Fine Arts. We've never actually done the drive (which we hear takes 4 hours without stops), but we do love the iconic seagull signs. Unfortunately, they were updated with new type recently -- the original type, with more of a hand feel, was infinitely better. 

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artist: Emile Norman, 1958

Masonic Mosaic
Fabricated in the endomosaic process, the gigantic mosaic window in the Masonic Center incorporates thousands of metal pieces, parchment, felt, linen, silk, natural foliage, thinly sliced vegetable matter, shells, and sea life, plus 180 colors of stained glass. The lower portion of the frieze is comprised of actual gravels and soils of the 58 counties of California and the Islands of Hawaii. Um, wow.

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Chinatown
SF has the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. Yep. Its 24-square blocks is full of fun surprises. The touristy parts are good, and the non-touristy parts are even better. So we recommend taking a long walk. Lots of the storefronts are packed full of interesting packaging inspiration. (And stop at the Fortune Cookie Factory on Ross Alley.)

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architect: Pier Luigi Nervi, Pietro Belluschi, 1970

St. Mary's Cathedral
Nothing against flying buttresses, but hyperbolic paraboloids and kinetic sculptures are way more interesting.